This invention relates to a support rack for compartmentalizing and subdividing shelf space and more particularly to a support rack which is rigidly suspended from the underside of an upper shelf and readily adapted to accommodate shelves, trays or the like of varying widths, particularly in the office environment.
Most office storage cabinets and shelving have a shelf height of at least 12 inches and with the exception of stacking magazines or storing large, bulky items, at least half of the space between the shelves is generally vacant and constitutes a very inefficient use of the storage space. The ability to selectively compartmentalize this space to accommodate a specific storage problem is obviously desirable and will enhance the ability to efficiently utilize the entire space between the pair of spaced cabinet shelves.
Many different systems have been employed to subdivide the interior of the space between shelves in the office environment for purposes of paper management. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,625 to R. A. Bleeker for Cam Secured Support Panel. In this system the support panels or racks were loosely hung from internally directed troughs of the upper shelf and a cam member was located in the bottom of the support panel in an attempt to provide rigidity to the support structure. Of course, this system was only operable where the distance between shelves was substantially identical with the panel height. Other systems have employed dividing racks which merely sat on the bottom shelf and extended upwardly into the cavity, or involved racks hung from the top shelf which required a spacer bar spanning the distance between the panels to prevent the panels from swinging away from each other and the shelves, trays or the like falling from between their support slots. Employing such spanning rigidizers limits the variations of spacing between depending support racks to the length of the spanner or rigidizing bar.
The need for an inner cabinet compartmentalizing storage system which provides versatility of spacing between support racks in order to accommodate varying sizes of paper and materials, as for example, legal size, letter size and computer read-out size paper is readily apparent.